Cleaner-trunk.



No. 688,588. Patented D60. l0, I901. D. T. BROWN.

CLEANER TRUNK.

(Application filed Nov. 10, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT EErcEi DANIEL T. BROWN, OF PAWTUOKET, RI'IODE ISLAND.

CLEAN ER-TRUNK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 688,588, dated December 10, 1901. Application filed November 10, 1900. Serial. No. 36,048. (No model.)

To an whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL T. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pawtucket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cleaner-Trunks, of which the following is a specification.

7 This invention has reference to an improvement in trunks or ducts used in connection with cotton-openers to separate the dust and leaf from the cotton.

The invention consists in the peculiar and novel construction by which the dust and other impurities are separated from the cotton, delivered onto an endless platform, and discharged from time to time into a suitable receptacle, as will be more fully set forth hereinafter.

Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section,

view of the trunk. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of part of the endless platform.

Similar marks of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, A indicates the supplyduct connecting the opener-machine ,yvith the trunk A, and A the duct connecting the trunk usually with a lapper forming the cotton into a lap. The trunk A consists of a box closed at the top, bottom, and sides, but open, preferably, at both ends. The trunk is divided into the upper passage or duct a, through which the cotton is blown, and the lower passage or duct a by the grate a The duct a is divided into pockets by the transverse partitions 663 a to which are hinged the doors a a. The endless platform b is made of a series of overlapping cleats b 11, secured to one or more endless belts b and is actuated by the pulleys b 11 secured to shafts, on one of which the loose and tight pulleys b b are secured. The endless platform I) is supported on the bottom of the trunk A. The doors a a hang suspended by their hinges and bear on the endless platform I; in

a slightly oblique position. They are held against the platform I) by means of the weighted arms a secured to the pintle of the hinges on the doors, and are also held in their raised positions by the weighted arms a, as is shown in broken lines in Fig. 1. The weighted arms a also serve to operate the doors.

The grate 0, does not extend the full length of the trunk, theportion at the receiving end from the ductA to the first cross-partition a being a closed bottom, as is also the portion a between the last cross-partition 0t and the trunk A When in use, the doors a a are in the nearly vertical position shown in Fig. l and form a series of chambers of which the platform 19 forms the bottom. These chambers are preferably made air-tight by covering the edges of the doors with list or similar material to secure an air-tight joint without causing excessive friction. When it is desired to remove the accumulated dust, leaf, and similar material collected in the chambers, a belt connected with the loose pulley b is shipped on the tight pulley b to set the platform Z) in motion, and the door a nearest to the discharge end 0 of the trunk is raised to discharge the material collected in the first chamber into the funnel c of the duct leading to the dust-room.

The several doors a are successively swung upward and are held in this position until all the material is removed, when the doors are again loweredand the belt is shipped to the loose pulley. As the weighted arms a are on the outside of the trunk, as is shown in Fig. 2, they serve to operate as well as sustain the door in both positions.

By the construction shown in the drawings large chambers are secured for the reception of the dust and leaf, and the accumulated material may be removed while the machine is in operation without the loss of fiber and without distributing any dust in the room. The traveling platform forming the bottom of the receptacles is supported along every part by the bottom of the trunk and forms with the doors air-tight chambers for the reception of the dust and leaf.

While I have described the operation of cleaning the accumulated dirt from the floors of the compartments and emptying the same into the dirt-chute c by first raising the gravity door or gate a nearestv to said dirt-chute and then raising the next adjacent door, and

2 ceases so on through the series, it will be noted that the apparatus may be made to automatically clean itself. This may be brought about by causing the endless floor b to move in the direction of the dirt-chute after considerable dirt has accumulated on the floor in each compartment and leaving the gravity-doors at in their normal positions, so that the dirt lying upon the floor will be dragged under each of the swinging doors in turn until it is discharged from the end into the chute. The accumulated dirt, as well as the transverse joints in the floor itself, will serve to slightly swing the doors, and thus permit the dirt to escape under them in the outward movement of the floor. The floor of course may be operated at will at any desired interval or it may be run continuously at a very slow speed, and in either case the cleaning may be done by raising the doors in succession or letting them hang in their normal positions and permitting the machine to cleanse itself.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1.'The combination of a passage through which fiber is conveyed, a set of dirt-receiving compartments leading 0% from said passage and each separated therefrom by a grating or screen, two opposite sides of each of said compartments being constituted by depending doors having their lower edges resting normally upon the floor of said compartments, the said floor being adapted to be moved in its own plane to convey the accumulated dirt from the compartments and discharge the same.

2. The combination of a passage through which fiber is conveyed, a set of dirt-receiving compartments leading 0% from said passage and each separated therefrom by a grating or screen, two opposite sides of each of said compartments being constituted by depending doors having their loweredges resting normally upon the floor of said compartments, the said floor comprising an endless belt against which the lower edges'of said doors normally rest and with which they form a close joint, and means for actuating said endless belt to convey the accumulated 1 I) provided with transverse strips or members dirt from the compartments and discharge the same.

3. The combination of .a passage through which fiber is conveyed, a set of dirt-receiving compartments leading off from said passage and each separated therefrom by a grating or screen, two opposite sides of each of said compartments being constituted by depending swinging doors having their lower edges resting by its own Weight normally upon the floor of said compartments, the said floor being adapted to be moved in its own plane to convey the accumulated dirt from the compartments and discharge the same.

4:. The combination of a passage through which fiber is conveyed, a set of dirt-receiving compartments leading off from said passage and each separated therefrom by a grating or screen, two opposite sides of each of said compartments being constituted by depending swinging doors having their lower edges resting by its own weight normally upon the floor of said compartments and provided with counterbalancing-weights, the said floor being adapted to be moved in its own plane to convey the accumulated dirt from the com partments and discharge the same.

5. The combination of a passage through which fiber is conveyed, a subjacent chamber communicating with said passage and separated therefrom by a screen, a series of depending'swinging doors mounted at intervals in said chamber and dividing it into a series of dust-receiving compartments, the said doors resting at an angle with their lower edges on the floor. of said chamber, the said floor being capable of being moved in its own plane to convey the dirt accumulated thereon from said compartments.

. v6. The combination of a passage through which fiberis conveyed, a subj acent chamber communicating with said passage and separated therefrom by a screen, a series of depending swinging doors a a mounted at in= tervals in said chamber and dividing it into a series of dust-receiving compartments, the said doors resting at an angle with their lower edges on the floor of said chamber, the said floor comprising an endless belt against one stretch of which the edges of said depending doors rest, substantially as described.

7. The combination of a passage through which fiber is conveyed, a subjacent chamber communicating with said passage and separated therefrom by a screen, a series of depending swinging doors a a mounted at intervals in said chamber and dividing it into a series of dust-receiving compartments, the said doors resting at an'angle. with their lower edges on the floor of said chamber, the said floor comprising an endless belt or platform 19 against which the lower edges of the depending doors rest, substantially as described.-

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' DANIEL T. BROWN.

Witnesses:

J. A. MILLER, Jr., B. M. SIMMs. 

